It is customary to paint window frames and mullions in order to protect the wood from the elements and seal glazing putty used to hold a window pane in place within the window frame. It is important to paint window glazing to prevent the glazing from drying out and cracking, which would compromise the seal formed by the glazing between the window frame and the pane. Compromising the seal can lead to inefficient air leakage and condensation formation, resulting in excess energy use and rotting of the wood frame.
In painting glazing and mullions, a painter attempts to minimize the amount of paint which accumulates on the glass itself. As with any painting process, however, a certain amount of paint is left on the window pane and must be removed. Attempts can be made to remove excess paint from the window before it dries, but this is difficult to do without damaging the undried paint applied to the glazing putty, mullions window frame. Regardless whether such attempts are made, it inevitably is necessary to remove dried paint from the glass window pane. The challenge in removing such dried paint is to remove the dried paint from the glass without affecting the paint on the glazing, mullions and window frame. Additionally, a small amount of paint should be left on the glass immediately adjacent the glazing and mullions to ensure a seal is formed between the glass and the wood or metal frame.
Heretofore, dried paint has been removed from window panes with razor blades held by hand or supported in some sort of handle. This method of removing dried paint from a window pane has numerous disadvantages. Such razor blade methods are time consuming, tedious and tiring. The user must establish and maintain the correct blade angle relative to the glass and apply enough pressure to remove the dried substances without scratching the glass. Maintaining the correct blade angle and pressure quickly causes fatigue in the worker's hands. Moreover, such manual methods require great care in working near painted mullions to avoid damaging the painted mullions, glazing or wood of the mullion or window. In this regard it is particularly difficult to remove paint from corners without nicking or scraping the glazing, mullions or window. As stated, an important reason for painting the window around the panes and at mullions is to paint over and seal window glazing and establish a seal at the juncture of the glazing and the window pane. However, the edge of the razor blade and razor blade scraper can cut into painted putty that is around the window, thereby causing premature drying of the putty which compromises the seal around the window pane. Even if the glazing or mullion isn't damaged, it is difficult if not impossible to prevent the razor blade from sliding under the window glazing and/or mullion, which also compromises the seal established by the paint. In the case of double-paned windows, sliding the blade under the mullion can compromise the seal between the panes, which is even more difficult to repair than damaged window glazing. In addition, working with exposed razor blades is hazardous and can lead to cuts during use or in changing blades. Further, if the blade or scraper is left out it can be a hazard to children.
Because there is no satisfactory method of quickly and reliably removing dried paint from a window pane, a painter generally paints more slowly around window panes in order to try not to leave any paint on the window, which inevitably occurs to some extent notwithstanding the degree of care exercised. In the end, the added care taken results in added time of the painter which translates into higher cost for the consumer. In the end, the painter must in any event remove dried paint from the window.
Various brushing or scrubbing devices have been proposed for a variety of purposes, but none are suitable for removing dried paint from a window pane. By way of example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 870,633 issued to Lewis, U.S. Pat. No. 891,970 issued to Askeli, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,472,208 issued to Dawer all disclose floor cleaning apparatus including a linearly reciprocating brush. In all of these patents the brush filaments remain in the same plane as it moves across the floor surface and returns, with the brush filaments substantially perpendicular to the floor throughout the brush sweep.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,519,530 issued to Chan discloses a polishing brush including receptacles for polishing liquids to be discharged to the brush through openings.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,918,685 issued to Sundstrom discloses a machine for removing hardened paint providing a heater means for softening hardened paint and a motor driven rotary brush positioned adjacent the heater means so that it abrades and brushes away the softened paint.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,118,162 issued to Karr discloses a rotary wire brush and a stabilizer for such a wire brush that are well suited for removing scale from the sheets and beads of steam boilers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,196,473 issued to Bell discloses a grill cleaner having a power-operated rotary brush.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,502 issued to Stevens discloses an electric power scrubber which moves a brush in an oscillating back and forth rotary motion rather than the conventional rotary motion. The brush is generally triangular to fit into corners and other tight spots into which a circular brush cannot fit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,420 issued to Cyphert discloses a carpet soil extracting wand having a powered brush which reciprocates through a predetermined arc to scrub the carpet. Bias means are included to allow variation in the pressure exerted by the reciprocating brush upon the pile of the carpet.
It has been found that planar reciprocating brushes or brushes reciprocating through a predetermined fixed arc are unsuitable for removing dried paint from a window pane adjacent mullions and into corners without marring painted mullions or glazing or scratching or otherwise marring the glass pane.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method of removing unwanted dried substances, such as dried paint, from a work surface, such as glass, metal, plastic or wood, which is easy to use and saves time.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method of removing unwanted dried substances, such as dried paint, from a work surface which involves little, if any, danger of injuring or cutting ones fingers.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method of removing unwanted dried substances, such as dried paint, from a work surface which provides an even edge around a window closely adjacent the mullion.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method of removing unwanted dried substances, such as dried paint, from a work surface which leaves a small and even strip of paint around a window pane that seals the mullion and glass where they come into contact, rather than removing all of the paint and even going under the mullion in some cases, as occurs with a razor blade.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method of removing unwanted dried substances, such as dried paint, from a work surface which enables an operator to quickly and easily remove the paint from the corners of windows.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method of removing unwanted dried substances, such as dried paint, from a work surface which has no sharp edges and will not scratch paint on mullions.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method of removing unwanted dried substances, such as dried paint, from a work surface without cutting or gouging putty around the window.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method of removing unwanted dried substances, such as dried paint, from a work surface which allows painters to paint faster knowing that excess paint can be quickly and easily removed from the windows, thus reducing costs to consumers.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method of removing unwanted dried substances, such as dried paint, from a work surface which provides incentive for homeowners to paint their mullions, whereas before they would neglect painting the mullions because of the difficult and time consuming job of cleaning the windows with a razor blade.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method of removing unwanted dried substances, such as dried paint, from a work surface which eliminates danger of children or others injuring themselves with a razor blade left out in the open or by reaching into a tool chest.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method of removing unwanted dried substances, such as dried paint, from a work surface which will not puncture a double-paned window seal.